Renovations

Over the past 18 months the pandemic kept many of us “sheltering in place” and spending more time at home.

And, if you’re like my wife and I, the more time we spent at home, the more we noticed little projects or even major renovations that needed to be done.

But today I asked myself what attention did I give to our spiritual home; the home that’s the most important for us to be continually updating and renovating?  Are we looking deep inside to see what improvements are needed in our faith life, or are we focused only on the tangible?

For some of us there has been no updating or remodeling of our spiritual home since possibly our eight-grade confirmation.  For others, daily prayer and reflection have made clear the changes that are needed in our spiritual homes, how we live our lives and how we interact with those around us.

As we go about our life today we need to remind ourselves of the words of the prophet Haggai and focus our attention not on our material needs, or as so aptly stated, our “own paneled houses,” but rather “to work to build up the house of the Lord through our thoughts, words and deeds” (Haggai 1:1-8).  And to remember that Jesus is constantly at our side, a guest at our house who, fortunately, will never leave us—one who is always there to help and guide us to do what is right and just.

And if we do look inward each and every day to improve our spiritual home, then we, too, can take comfort in the words of Haggai when he said, “Go up into the hill country; bring timber, and build the house That I may take pleasure in it and receive my glory, says the LORD.